Process for preventing the formation of gums and resins in organic liquids containing unsaturated hydrocarbons



atented I PROCESS FOR PREVENTING THE FORM TRON F GUMS AND RIESllNS INORGANIC LIQS CONTAINING UNSATURATED HY- DROCBONS Alfred Engelhardt,Gonzenheim, near Bad Humburg vor der Hohe, Germany; vested in the AlienProperty Custodian No Drawing. Application August 22, 1939, Serial No.291,428. In Germany March 12, 1937 4 Claims.

In the storage of organic liquids containing 'unsaturated hydrocarbons,such as hydrocarbon motor fuels containing unsaturated hydrocarbons,gums and resins frequently are formed which are detrimental to theliquids.

It has now been found that the formation of gums and resins in suchliquids under storage may be prevented by treating the liquids withactive carbon, e. g., by filtering the liquid through active carbon orby storing the liquid in the presence of active carbon. It appears thatthe active carbon not only removes the gums and resins if they arepresent in the liquid at the time of the treatment but also prevents orretards further gum and resin formation. Consequently the treatment maybe applied to a liquid which already contains gums and resins or to aliquid which is free from gums and resins but which is suceptible to theformation of gums and resins under storage.

An example of the efiicacy of the treatment is as follows:

A hydrocarbon motor fuel containing unsaturated hydrocarbons and 3 mg.of gum per 100 com. was found after being stored for six months in irontanks to contain 21 mg. of gum per 100 ccm. The same motor fuel whenstored in the same way with an addition of 1% of fine grained activecarbon was iound to contain only 5 mg. of gum per 100 ccm.

By comparison with chemical treatments, the treatment with active carbonoifers the advantage that it can be carried out by simple means, nospecial expenditure of energy for example for distillation beingrequired Moreover the qualities of the organic liquid are substantiallyunaffected and no foreign substance is introduced into it.

The active carbon preferably is used in granular form, since in thisform it is very easy to separate by filtration or mere settling. Activecarbons having a high capacity for decomposing hydrogen peroxide havebeen found to be effective.

This application i a continuation-in-part of Serial No. 203,646, filedApril 22, 1938.

I claim:

1. Process of preventing the formation of gums and resins in organicliquids containing unsaturated hydrocarbons and in which the content ofgums and resins increases under normal conditions of storage whichconsists in storing such liquids in contact with a small amount of theorder of 1% of activated carbon.

2. Process as defined in claim 1 in which the organic liquid is ahydrocarbon motor fuel.

3. Process as defined in claim 1 in which the organic liquid is, ahydrocarbon motor fuel and in which it is stored in contact with theactivated carbon in granular form.

4. Process of preventing the formation of gums and resins in ahydrocarbon motor fuel containing unsaturated hydrocarbons and in whichthe content of gums and resins increases under normal conditions ofstorage which consists in storing the motor fuel in contact with about1% activated carbon having a high capacity for decomposing hydrogenperoxide.

ALFRED ENGELHARD'I'.

